The bronch went well yesterday. I was able to come back to my room and not be on the vent so that is a win in my books. They were able to get a lot of junk out and sent off to the lab for testing.

About an hour after the procedure I was back in my room and the really bad pain started. I started coughing and good golly miss Molly I was in tears which doesn’t make the pain any better or easier to deal with. They had given me a Percocet after the bronch before pain really started. I had them call for something else stronger. They gave me a one time dose of IV Dilaudid. It finally took the sharpness of the pain off so I could deal a bit better. I then took my next dose of Percocet at the 4 hour mark hoping it would build up in my system so I could manage the pain better. It didn’t last as long as I hoped so I asked for something else or other options. They decided to up my Percocet from 5mg to 10mg. I have stayed on top of that every 4 hours to keep it in my system which has seemed to do the trick. I’m still in pain but it’s tolerable.

I didn’t sleep all that well last night. It was more like cat napping throughout the night and I’m sure I will be doing the same throughout the day today.

It will take a few days to get preliminary bacteria growth results from what they sucked out and then a few more days to see what antibiotics should and should not work (sensitivities). However the fungal cultures take up to 2-3 weeks because they are more slow growing. With the bacteria cultures back in a few days we can make any adjustments to antibiotics that we need to then. I am still on the IV fluconizole (antifungal) as a “shot in the dark” to cover an unknown fungus if there were one. Just like with antibiotics, antifungals also have certain fungi they work for and others that they won’t treat. Oh my creatinine (kidney level) has been good the whole time which is great. However my white count has been elevated which shows that my body is fighting something. My O2 sats have been low, into the upper 80’s. I’m on 4 liters of oxygen and my sats are staying in the mid to low 90’s. It is expected after them messing around in my lungs, although I was on 2 liters before the bronch.

My dad flew in yesterday morning. When I let the family know the bronch had been scheduled for 11am yesterday he quickly made flight arrangements. After how the last bronch ended with me on the vent he didn’t like him being far away. He flew into Nashville and rented a car for the 3 hour drive here. He made it here when I was in the post procedure room. He stayed the night at the hospital with me last night.

Last but not least I’m going to share a picture of my yucky airway compared a normal (non CF) airway. This gives you a glimps into what my lungs look like on the inside. It ain’t pretty. All of the bubbly stuff is puss/mucus that is always in my lungs and airways because my CF body constantly produces thick sticky yucky mucus. Yes they sucked everything they could out but just as fast as they sucked it out, it is coming back. There is no break.

Until next time….